Jack A Bit Further Down the Road
by 24lover
Summary: Jack is in for a surprise when a young girl saves his life. NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This is a dream I had and built on. I just jotted it down, and its probably really cheesy. But, I do have more ideas for another one. Please read and let me know!


Several years later……

There is a small fair going on, but it is packed with families. All of the sudden, a car veers into one of the rides, being chased by several more. Gunshots are fired, causing major chaos throughout the fair. As many people as can run away. But one thirteen year old girl was separated from her friends in the confusion. Jack steps out of the first car and runs and hides behind a ride, not realizing the girl was still there.

As the girl cried out for help, Jack shushed her and motioned her to come to him. Frightened, she walked across the fair over to him. Only a few feet away from him, she is shot, but not dead. Jack tries to comfort her, but more shots are fired. She is bleeding a lot, so Jack quickly bandages her and begins to fight back.

Jack manages to kill seven of the eight men, but while fighting the last man his gun is knocked out of his hands, just a few feet from the girl. Jack continues in hand to hand combat with the man, until it looks like the end for Jack. Just as the man was about to stab Jack, the man is shot. Looking around, Jack sees the nearly dead thirteen year old was the shooter. He quickly scoops her up, and carries her to his car.

In the car, Jack tries to keep the girl distracted by making conversation with her.

"Stay with me, come on. What's your name?"

"I'm Candace Jackson. Who are you? Who were those men?" she replied, looking rather woozy.

"My name is Jack Bauer. Those men were the Russian mob, but that's not important. You saved my life back there. You're extremely brave and strong. Thank you. Come on, you have to make it"

"Mmm… Bauer. That's my… my…"

"Stay awake, stay awake! What is it?"

"My mother's maiden name. Kimberly Bauer."

"Kimberly Bauer?" Jack asked, recalling his daughter who still refused to talk to him, for nearly twenty years now.

"Mmmm… yeah. Kimberly." She was getting closer and closer to collapsing.

"Stay with me. I want you to tell me everything about your mother."

"She's pretty. She's blond with dark brown eyes, and a funny birthmark on her arm. I miss her. We're in a fight, she didn't know I was going to the fair with a boy."

"A birthmark?" Jack remembered his daughter's birthmark. He hadn't talked to Kim, and she certainly hadn't told him about a grandchild. But then again, why would she? He picked up the phone to call Chloe.

"Chloe, it's Jack. I was pursued by the Russian mob into a fair, where a girl was caught in the cross-fire. She saved my life. I'm bringing her to the hospital, be sure they're waiting for her there. I need you to call her parents. Her name is Candace Jackson."

"Okay Jack, they're ready for her. But Jack…"

"What? What is it Chloe?"

"Her mother is… is… your daughter. Candace is your granddaughter."

"That's going to make things a lot more complicated."

"You and Kimberly still haven't spoken? I didn't even know you had a granddaughter."

"Neither did I. Well, this is going to be hard to explain to Kimberly. This is exactly why she didn't want me in her life anymore. [horns honk, traffic ahead] Damn it!"

Jack is eventually able to weave his way through traffic, turning back every few seconds staring at his granddaughter, wishing there was something more he could do. Once he arrives at the hospital, Candace is already unconscious. As he is greeted with swarms of medical teams Chloe had arranged, Kimberly pushes Jack out of the way in order to hold Candace's hand.

Candace is now in surgery. In the lobby, tensions raise as Kimberly and her husband weep and Jack looks on in a daze, contemplating his guilt in the situation.

"It's all your fault Dad! I can't believe it. You don't even know her but you manage to get her hurt!" Kimberly shouts through tears. As she runs over to Jack, she continues to weep and blame him, even hitting him. "It's all your fault!" she exclaims.

Jack simply hugs her and holds her close. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want her to get hurt, I didn't want her to know what you do everyday, I wanted to keep her from the violence of your world," she sobs.

A doctor comes forth to speak to them, with a disheartened look on his face. "We were able to remove the bullet, but she's in a coma. We don't know how long it will be until she wakes up. There's a chance she'll never wake up."

Jack's eyes water up. "Thank you, doctor."

"Leave! Get out! This is all your fault! You're not allowed to see her, ever again!" Kimberly screams at Jack.

Jack rushes out of the hospital and gets into his car. He breaks down, and even for a moment considers shooting himself, but instead bangs his head repeatedly on the seat. He is at a total loss as he drives home.

Two Months Later…

Jack is lying in his bed, still in his pajamas, staring at the ceiling. He looks like a wreck. The clock reads 2:30 PM. Jack's cell phone rings, surprising Jack a bit. He picks up, without saying anything.

"Hey Jack. It's Chloe. I have some news. Kimberly and her husband are both in meetings today. Neither one will be watching her. It's the perfect opportunity for you to get into the hospital and see Candace again."

"I don't know Chloe."

"Come on Jack. It's been two months and you haven't done anything except for lying around all day. This will help you move on. Go visit her, she won't even know you're there."

"Okay fine. I'll go."

Jack gets up, gets dressed, and heads over to the hospital. Once he gets to Candace's room, he pulls up a chair and clasps her hand, overcome with emotion. Of course, barely any shows. As a tear rolls down his cheek, he looks around at all the pictures of Candace and her friends, and one of Candace and Kimberly. As he holds her hand he begins to speak to her.

"Candace, it's umm… it's me, Jack. I know this is my fault, and I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." As another tear falls, Candace's hand moves. Next her eyes open, and she looks around, rather confused.

"What's going on? Where's my mom? My dad? It's you, Jack? Jack Bauer, right?"

"Nurse! Nurse! Yes, it's me. I never thought I'd hear your voice. Or see those gorgeous eyes. You may not remember this, but you were shot during a fight at a fair. You then saved my life."

"Where are my parents?"

"They're in a meeting. I'm not supposed to be here, your mother banned me from seeing you. You see, it turns out you're my granddaughter. Your mother pushed me out of her life, and yours, for this reason. My life is dangerous, and anyone who I love is in danger too. She was doing it for your good. I really should go."

"No, stay. Please? I have no one here. At least wait until my parents are here."

"Alright, fine. I guess I can stay."

An hour later…

Kimberly walks into the hospital room to find Candace and Jack chatting.

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you not to see her."

"No Mom, I want him here. He has really great stories."

"No Candace, it's alright. I shouldn't have been here in the first place. I'm going to talk to your mom in the hall for a little while."

Jack and Kimberly go outside. As they are speaking, Candace takes Jack's phone off the bedside table, texts her own cell phone, and saves the contact information. Jack and Kimberly come back in the room. Jack picks up his phone and turns to leave.

"I'm sorry I can't stay longer, I have to go. Thank you again for saving my life." Jack says as he leaves.

"Mom, why does he have to go?"

"Candace, he is a dangerous man. Stay away from him."

A month later…

Jack is in his kitchen, preparing a meal for himself, when the phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Jack?"

"Who is this?"

"It's Candace. Listen, I know my mom doesn't want me to, but I really want to get to know you. You are my grandfather after all."

"How did you get this number?"

"I took it off your phone at the hospital. That doesn't matter. I want to meet you somewhere for lunch. How does Chipotle sound?"

"I don't think this is a good idea, I am dangerous, like your mother said."

"I have to go, I'll meet you there at 1:00," Candace says as she hangs up.

"Just like her mother." Jack laughs to himself.

An hour later…

A teenage boy drops Candace off at the Chipotle, where Jack is waiting.

"Who was that?"

"That was Holden. He's my boyfriend, and he's helping me cover this from my mom."

"Your boyfriend?" Jack looked judgingly at the boy as he drove off.

"Don't worry about it."

"You do realize how dangerous this is? If this thing is going to be regular, I'm going to have to teach you some moves."

"Ooo. That sounds fun." Candace said.

"No, it's very serious. You're putting yourself at risk for what you just got over, and that wasn't even targeted at you. People can and will use you to get to me if they can."

"It's okay. I don't scare easy, I'm pretty strong, and I have a pretty high pain tolerance."

"I'm not so sure."

"So, tell me more about the people who shot me. Did we save any lives?"

These meetings continue on four several months. Candace listened to all of Jack's stories in fascination. Sometimes, instead of going out to lunch Jack would give her lessons on weapons, self-defense moves, and other important things. He gave her a gun, only to be used when her life is being directly threatened. They practice their hand to hand combat, and Jack teaches her exactly what to do if she gets in trouble. As she takes things into her own hands, she even implants a GPS receiver in her arm.

Five months later…

Candace and Holden are walking in a park. Candace notices that a couple of men in dark suits have been following her around for a while. She gets out her cell phone and calls Jack, but there's no answer.

"Hey Jack, it's Candace. I think some people have been following me. Please call me back."

Candace and Holden decide to go back to Candace's house, where they have an extensive security system. Candace continues trying to call Jack, but still no answer. Finally, she decides to call Renee, who's number Jack had given her in case of emergency.

"Agent Walker, FBI."

"Agent Walker? This is Candace, Jack's granddaughter. I'm pretty sure I'm being followed."

"Did you try Jack?"

"Yeah, and he always picks up for me. But he hasn't this morning, and I've tried a ton of times."

"Okay, well I'll see what I can do. We're in the middle of a crisis. He was assisting us, but we lost communication."

"Wait! They're coming to the door. I have to go," Candace abruptly hung up.

Candace ran up to the third floor and went into her drawer in her room. She took out the knife set and wrapped it around her upper leg where it was concealed. She put her razor sharp hairclips in her hair and grabbed her gun. She crept back downstairs.

As she looked down from the second floor stairs, she saw a man breaking the gate. As he rang the doorbell, clueless Holden went over to open the door.

"Holden, don't!"

But it was too late. As soon as he opened the door he was shot dead. The man came running in and grabbed Candace. She put up a small struggle so the men would think she was weak. They put a bag over her head and threw her in the car. They sped off to an empty warehouse. There, Jack was being held.

"Let's see if we can make this easy," said the leader of the kidnappers. He dragged Candace in front of the cell Jack was being held in. "Now, what is the code for the football? You reset it, you're the only one that nows." He pointed the gun at Candace.

"Jack don't say anything," Candace says, turning her head and shutting her eyes. The gun went off. "Aarrrrrrr! Ughhhhh! MMmmm!" Candace whimpers as she tried not to scream out. She had been shot in the arm. "Don't Jack. I'm ugghhh. I'm okay." Jack winced, trying hard to contain himself.

"Okay then. I guess we'll have to do this the hard way," the leader said, throwing Candace into the same cell as Jack. "I'll be back in a minute to torture her some more. If you're smart, you'll tell me what the code is by the time I get back." The man went into another corner of the warehouse, where he began preparing a torture area.

"Listen Jack. I have hand knives and a gun. They think I'm defenseless. What should we do?"

"Why the hell didn't you put up a fight when they came to get you?"

"I knew they'd take me to wherever you are."

"Damn it Candace, you've put yourself in unnecessary danger. I can do these things because I don't have a family or friends. But you are loved by many people, and there all going to miss you if you get hurt. And it doesn't look like we're getting out of here."

"No, Jack. We'll be okay. In the mean time, don't talk no matter what they do to me. If they get that code they can kill millions."

"Fine. How many knives do you have?"

"Four, and my hair pins are daggers as well."

"Give me two knives and a gun. I need you to remember everything I taught you. They think you're defenseless, and you've been shot in the arm. They'll only have on guard on you while they're torturing you. They probably won't even tie you up. When I know that the units are here, I'll give you the signal and kick the guard toward you. I need you to stab him with your good arm as many times as you can. While you do that, I can take out the other five guards, and I'll injure the leader enough that he can't do us any harm. I know it's hard to kill a person, but you have to keep in mind the innocent people who will be killed if you don't do this. Can you handle it?"

"Yeah, um yeah. No problem," Candace said nervously as she gave Jack the gun and knives.

"You need to bandage that up. Tear a piece of my shirt and use it to wrap your arm. Sorry I can't help," Jack said, still handcuffed. Candace proceeded to bandage her arm, struggling a bit because she had to do it one-armed.

"Jack, I just wanted you to know, I'm glad I got to know you. You're really a good person, and I'm sorry no one seems to see it. I do. And Jack?"

"Yeah?" He said, his eyes watering.

"I love you," Candace said, with a tear rolling down her cheek. She hugged him, but didn't let go.

"I love you too. That's the first time someone has said that to me since, well, since your mother was ten. But that's going to make this a lot harder for both of us. I can't watch you being tortured, it's going to be hard for me to not tell them the code."

"Oh, you'll tell us. It just depends how much we have to hurt her," the leader was said, unlocking the cell. "Take them over to the torture area. He needs to be watched, but you don't need to worry about her," He told the guard.

The guard sat Jack and Candace about five feet apart, facing each other. There was a table next to them with needles, knives, and vials on it. The guard put Candace in the chair and turned to Jack. Jack kicked the guard toward Candace and he landed on her knife. He lay dead on the floor. Candace ran over to Jack and cut the rope. They quietly went and hid in the main area, where the leader was on his way to the torture corner. Jack opened fire and was able to kill all the guards and catch the leader.

Jack dragged the leader over to the torture area and strapped him up. He looked at the various needles and picked one up.

"Candace, I need you to go outside and find one of their cars. Wait in it for me. Oh, here is the gun."

"Okay Jack," she said, shaken up a bit from what she knew was about to happen. She took the gun and walked outside.

"Alright. Now, are you ready to go through what you were about to put a fourteen year old girl through?" Jack said, angrily.

"This will help persuade you to answer my questions," Jack said as he injected something into the man's arm. The man began to shake violently, but after a minute it slowed down a bit.

"Now, who is in charge? Who has the football?" Jack questioned.

"It's, it's in a utility room of a power plant, twenty miles north of here," the man stuttered.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," Jack said. "Now this is for shooting her." Jack punched the man, but before he could do anymore he heard Candace yell for help and gun shots. He ran outside. Candace was standing in the middle of three men, all had been shot.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Jack asked.

"They, they tried to kill me. They were coming at me with guns, so I sh- shot them," Candace said, nervous and shaky.

"Okay, you did a good job. It's alright, you're okay," Jack comforted her. Jack walked over and hugged her. "I hate to have to ask you to do this, but time is of the essence. I need you to come with me to a power plant. I'll find a good hiding place for you until FBI can send a couple of units for backup, then the medics will take care of your arm. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," she said, still traumatized. "Here's my phone."

"Thanks. I'm going to call Renee now. Let's head to the car. Renee?"

"Jack? Where are you? Where's Candace?"

"I was kidnapped early this morning, as was Candace. They tried to use her to get me to tell them the code for the football. Candace was shot in the process. They had an odd device, so I'm taking it and we can find out what it does later. I interrogated the leader and found out that the football is being held in a power plant north of here. I need you to meet me there with several units, and be sure to have the medics ready for Candace. Get Chloe to send me the schematics of the building and find a good hiding place for Candace."

"Okay Jack."

TO BE CONTINUED.


End file.
